LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO. Q1A
Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius S L\J

Is Life
Worth Living?

A Debate
Frederick Starr—Clarence Darrow

LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

Edited by £. Haldeman-Julius

910

Is Life
Worth Living?

A Debate

Frederick Starr — Clarence Darrow

HALDEMAN-JULIUS COMPANY
GIRARD, KANSAS

Copyright,
Haldeman-Julius Company.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

The Chairman: These two gentlemen haYe
met before on this platform in discussion. I
hope they will meet again. I think you will
have the privilege probably next fall. The last
debate was on the question: Is the Human
Race Getting Anywhere? The debate today is
on a question which interests us all and has
to do with the great philosophy of pessimism,
of which Mr. Clarence Darrow is the greatest
living exponent. The day which brings these
two central suns in conjunction is a wonderful
day. The question: Is Life Worth Living? is
the question to be discussed today. The de-
bate will be opened by our distinguished friend,
the greatest anthropologist the world possesses
today, Professor Frederick Starr, of the Chi-
cago University.

IS LIFE WORTli LIVING?

PROF. STARR'S FIRST SPEECH

Professor Frederick Starr said: The sub-
ject we are to discuss today is very simply
worded and it can be "very simply discussed.
It would be possible, of course, to indulge in^
any flight of oratory, to reach any depth of
philosophy, in a discussion of this question,
but it is not necessary either to indulge in
oratory or in philosophy. I hope I shall pre-
sent some facts that are worth thinking over.

Is Life Worth Living? And before we take
up the discussion of the question at all, I want
to emphasize what the question is not. I sus-
pect that we are going to beat a great deal
about the bush in this discussion instead of
getting right down to the central thought,
which is merely: Is Life Worth Living? Now,
there are three things I want to call attention
to as not involved in the discussion. First I
want to say that we are not called upon in
this discussion today to tell where man came
from or whether it is fortunate that he came
or how he came; nor is it for us to say where
he is going, or what comes hereafter. These
things form no part of the question, Is Life
Worth Living.

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 5

I used to find a good deal of pleasure in this
passage which I first read in its old, old Eng-
lish form:

To Edwin, King of Northumbria, an aged
counsellor said:

"You know, O King, how on a winter eve-
ning, when you are sitting at supper in your
hall, with your company around you, when
the night is dark and dreary, when the rain
and the snow rage outside, when the hall in-
side is bright and warm with a blazing fire,
sometimes it happens that a sparrow flies into
the bright hall and then flies out at the other
end into the dark night again. We see him
for a few moments, but we know not whence
he came nor whither he goes into the black-
ness of the storm outside. So is the life of
man. It appears for a short space in the
warmth and brightness of this life, but what
comes before this life, or what is to follow,
we know not."

That is as true today as it was a thousand
years ago. But I want to emphasize absolutely
the fact that it is this life we are talking
about; it is this little space of time; the period
when the sparrow is flying through the hall.
It is not whence the sparrow came on the one
hand, nor whither the sparrow goes, on the
other hand. It is simply whether the sparrow

6 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

enjoyed, there in its terror and flight, the
warmth and light and beauty, as it flew
through the hall. ' Bear in mind, then, that
whatever goes into either of these questions is
not pertinent to the subject.

In the second place, I would call your at-
tention to the fact that we believe — and when
I say "we believe" I mean this audience be-
lieves, because I know just what this audience
is; I know its attitude toward things — this
audience believes that mankind has come into
being through the operation, through ages, of
certain influences and causes. Mankind is
the result of operations that have been going
on through a long period of ages. Well, now,
mankind in becoming, has been adapted to
these conditions. In other words, mankind
fits; mankind must fit. It is inconceivable
that man should exist unless he fits the sit-
uation in which we find him, and, it is in-
conceivable that he should continue unless he
fits into the condition that we find him. In
other words, if we believe, and we do believe,
that man is the product of evolution ~ he can-
not possibly be a misfit in the surroundings
in which he exists. If he should be so he
would disappear and die; if he ceases to fit, if
he ceases to be in harmony with his surround-

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? ?

ings, he simply disappears. And the mere fact
of the existence of one billion, six hundred
million human beings on the earth today (a
number which, notwithstanding the late dread-
ful war, is increasing every day, every week),
the mere fact of the existence of such a hu-
man population shows there is not a genuine ,
maladjustment. There is, of course, malad-
justment here and there, single and individual
cases; yes — poverty, sickness, ^suffering — all
those things exist, but they exist because man
himself has meddled; because man himself has
made mistakes; because man himself has
brought about in these individual cases a
maladjustment. But the very fact that we
have that number of human beings — greater,
unquestionably, than ever in the world before
— demonstrates that life is not a failure.

There are, then, two ideas not pertinent to
this discussion. We often see in similar dis-
cussions, the introduction of a cruel, tyrant
God, making people weak, putting them into
hard and unhappy surroundings which are im-
possible; no such discussion has any perti-
nence today, because if we believe that man
became as he did, we may rule out of all
account any thought of such a tyrant God.
He is beside the mark. Notice: Not only is

8 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

a tyrant God beside the mark but, too, a
vengeful Nature, spelled with a big "N" is be-
yond the mark. If there is such a Nature,
dealing in horror, destroying from sheer de-
sire to destroy, you surrender at once to the
very foundation or fundamental idea in regard
to man's becoming with which w^ started. So
I say a line of argument cannot possibly be
adopted in which such a God as I have sug-
gested is held up before your gaze, nor in
which such a Nature as I have hinted at can
be called in.

There is a third thing that this debate can-
not include. This is no debate here on opti-
mism and pessimism. I do not care how Mr.
Lewis introduced it. He introduced it so be-
cause he is used to talking that way. I un-
derstand that the question whether life is
worth living is not a dispute between optimism
and pessimism. I am not an optimist and I
will not permit Mr. Lewis nor Mr. Darrow to
put me into a position of that kind. An op-
timist is man without a brain! An optimist
is a man who gives no consideration to the
world; who can shut his eyes to evident facts.
I am not an optimist, and this is not a dis-
cussion between pessimism and optimism. On
the other hand, there is only one step of im-
provement between an optimist and a pessi-

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 9

mist; only one, and I am not a pessimist —
no. I think one pessimist on a platform is as
much as the world could possibly stand at any
one time.

Well, now, I am quite serious in saying that
if we are today to discuss the question, Is
Life Worth Living, we must rule out all the
things I have indicated. We must rule out the
question as to the unknown past and future.
We are dealing with the present. We must
take out the idea of that cruel, blood-thirsty
and wicked deity, and we must rule out the
idea of a capitalized Nature, and we must
rule out the idea that we are talking about
two systems of philosophy, optimism and pes-
simism. Now, I hope I am sane. I hope
what I am going to say to you is simple,
straightforward statement. It is not optimism
on the one hand; it is not pessimism on the
other hand. I shall not shut my eyes to sad
things; but I shall not dwell on them. Be will.

What remains? Why, the question as to
whether life is worth living, remains. The
question as to whether this little period of
time during which we are in the light and
warmth of the hall, is something worth while.
That is what remains. And the discussion we
have before us is to talk about life, its em-

10 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

ployments, enjoyments, and whether it can be
shown how we can get the most out of life.
Very good, then; let us see. I one time spoke
to some school children graduating. I always*
try not to talk twaddle on such occasions, but
to talk sense because the children need it bad-
ly; they have been in poor hands much of the
time. If you do not believe that, read Dar-
row's Farmington. I think his chapter on the
School Readers is lovely; I do, indeed. Now,
in the talk I speak of, I started out by saying:
"Young friends, if you were asked what you
want you would quite likely answer: 'Health,
wealth and happiness\" It is perfectly proper
that people should want health, wealth and
happiness. Perfectly legitimate. It is reason-
able that a man should want to be healthy,
wealthy and wise. Those are things we may
strive for. We are not sailing on an un-
charted sea. It is not true that people do not
know what is good. It is not true that .the
world has not learned what is worth while.
There have been human beings for hundreds
of thousands of years; there have been men,
women and children living through this vast
period of time. They had every kind of ex- [
perience that can be thought of. They have
had their joys; they have had their sorrows;

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 11

they have learned what is worth while. It is
not true that we do not know what things are
good, what things are lovely. It is not true
that we have not reached ideas as to the true,
the good and the beautiful. No. There have
been too many thousands and hundreds of
thousands, millions and billions of people peg-
ging away at the problems of the world for
us to have any question whatever as to whether
there are legitimate standards of the things
that it is worth while to try to reach and
gain.

When I examine the different things which
people have said are worth while trying to
get, I recognize the fact there are many men
of many minds. Of course there are. I am
glad of it. How stupid the world would
be if we were just all alike! You wouldn't
have to come here to hear me and Mr. Dar-
row if you all thought exactly alike; if we
all had been run in one mold. There wouldn't
be much enjoyment in life. It is because men
are different, have different enjoyments, brains
and ideas that life is worth living. Every man
is different from any other man and any man
has a right, within certain limits, to the en-
joyment that he can find. It is not for me or
for any other person to actually say that a
man shall not find enjoyment in the lines that

12 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

please him. For example, I like to travel; I
find a good deal of enjoyment in travel. But
it is not necessary that everybody should
travel. Mr. Darrow likes biology; that is a
fine thing, but that is no reason why every-
body must like biology. No. A little biology
may please him. No biology at all may please
you and you and another. That is all right.
I am not anxious that you should travel; I
am not anxious that you should study biology.
No; you have your preferences. I am glad
you have. A few days ago — a few nights ago,
I stood for a long time and enjoyed that splen-
did spectacle in the northern heavens. The
finest Aurora Borealis I have seen for many
long years. Wasn't it a splendid exhibition?
I am sure many of you stood with enjoyment
and saw that splendid natural phenomenon.
And yet I know I have four friends who were
urged, begged and pleaded with to come out
and look at the Aurora Borealis. Did they
go? No; they were playing cards, and they
kept on playing cards through the whole of
that splendid display. Well, thank heaven,
there were some who appreciated the Aurora
more than that. But I am not discontented
that those four men played cards instead of
going out to see the Aurora. There is no ac-
tual accounting for tastes. But there are dif-

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 13

ferent tastes. But, after all, there are limits.
For instance, husks can be eaten; yes, a per-
son may eat husks; some animals might real-
ly enjoy eating husks. But, after all, every-
body knows that the soft, fine grains of corn
are vastly better and more valuable than the
husks are. Still, that is no reason why peo-
ple who like husks should not eat them. Peo-
ple have a right to their own forms of en-
joyment, and yet there are limits, of course.

Notice: These limits are not due to Divine
command nor to man-made laws. They are
due to the nature of things. Man became. And,
in becoming there are certain things he can-
not do in the way of desiring or finding en-
joyment. There are things which involve a
penalty for the man who tries to do them. No
man can thrust his hand into the fire without
suffering the penalty; no man can overeat
without suffering; no man can go without
food and continue to live. No; there are cer-
tain fixed limits within which a man must
find his enjoyment; within which he must con-
fine his life. Those limits are not, as I say,
in this final manner, fixed by Divine com-
mand nor by man-made laws. No. They are
in the nature of things, which produced this
human being, capable of enjoyment.

14 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

There is another class of limitation. It is
true that we are not alone. If I was alone,
it would be quite possible for me to do any-
thing I wanted within the range of my mus-
cular and mental effort and there would be
no harm done,\unless possibly to myself. But
we are not alone. There are many people, and
it is true that if I wish to do certain things
I am not only subject to the limitation of my
actual nature, I am also subject to the limita-
tion that I am not the only man living in the
world. These two things limit my field of pos-
sibility and my enjoyment of life must be lim-
ited by those two things.

I reduce my system of pedagogy to very nar-
row limits. I sometimes am asked what is
proper to teach to young people. And I tfeink
of a boy more naturally than of a girl when
we speak of being educated, and I have often
said there are two things a boy should be
taught, from the time he begins to be old
enough to gain any knowledge from the world.
One is to recognize and demand his rights;
the other is to recognize and admit the rights
of others. That is the only education that
anybody needs; that is the only education nec-
essary to make life happy; it is the only sort
of training that young people ought to have.
Still, let us coke to detail.

a'S LIFE WORTH LIVING? 15

There are, then, two ways in which we must
look at this life if it is to be lived with the
idea of having it worth while. The first is
with reference to ourselves; the second is with
reference to others. Schopenhauer — a name
which I suspect our friend on the left has
heard — Schopenhauer recognized three kinds
of pleasure. Notice that he speaks of them
as pleasures. First, vital energy, such as food,
drink, digestion, sleep, rest, and so forth and
so forth; next, muscular energy, and under
this he mentions sport and exercise, and so
on; third, sensibility. Enjoy vital energy, mus-
cular energy and sensibility. None should be
neglected. The best man is one who has all
developed evenly and suitably.

Health is largely a matter of one's thought.
I am not a Christian Scientist, but I know
most people are well when they think least
about themselves; that they think least about
themselves when they are most well. A per*
son with a little the matter with him can make
it infinitely worse if he chooses. Of course
he can. I have already said that sickness ex-
ists. I am going to leave Mr. Darrow to find
all these horrors for you; he will find them.
I admit all these things exist. It is unfor-
tunate that they exist. I am sorrv for the

16 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

man who is suffering from physical pain. I
am sorry for the man who is suffering the
absolute privations due to poverty. I am sorry
for the man who suffers from the meanness and
wickedness of other people. Yes, sorry for all
those things. But, after all, we often make
things much worse than they need to be.

I want to read about two men, suffering
under disadvantages, who met the disadvan-
tages like men. There is a great deal in not
paying too much attention even to the great
troubles of life, and in meeting them in a
manly way. There is the case of Epictetus. I
like to talk of the old man.

"I must die, but must I then die sorrowing?
I must be put in chains. Must I then also
lament? I must go into exile. Can I be pre-
vented from going with cheerfulness and con-
tentment? But I will put you in prison! Man,
what are you saying? You can put my body
in prison, but my mind, not even Zeus him-
self can overpower."

Jeremy Taylor says:

"I have fallen into the hands of thieves;
what then? They have left me the sun and
the moon, fire and water, a loving wife and
many friends to pity me, and some to relieve
me, and I cam still discourse; and, unless I

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 17

list, they have not taken away my merry
countenance and my cheerful spirit and a
good conscience. * * * And he that hath so
many causes of joy, and so great, is very much
in love with sorrow and peevishness who loves
all these pleasures and chooses to sit down on
his little handful of thorns."

He must be very much in love with sorrow
and peevishness when he has so much joy in
sitting down on his little handful of thorns.
There are people who, when you ask them
how they are will say: "I am enjoying very
miserable health."

We are talking about ourselves. It is the
agreement of all opinion that the greatest
source of happiness and satisfaction are with-
in ourselves. And the greatest thing that a
man can ever have is the matter of personality.
It was Schopenhauer who said that "happi-
ness exists for the most part in what a man
is in himself, and that the pleasure he de-
rives from these blessings will depend entire-
ly upon the extent to which his personality
really allows him to appreciate them."

If a man is going to be happy he not only
must use the different elements toward hap-
piness that exist in his personality, but must
wisely use his time. You know an idle man

18 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

is a sad man. A man who finds something
all the time to do is happy. The man who
really gets something out of life is the man
who does not lose time. Not that one should
be running a Marathon race every day and
hour. No. But the man who occupies his time
sanely and sensibly is the man who gets some-
thing worth while out of life.

Sir John Lubbock wrote a book on the Pleas-
ures of Life. I like to quote him for certain
reasons.

"But is it true that the ordinary duties of
life in a country like ours — commerce, manu-
factures, agriculture — the pursuits to which
the vast majority are and must be devoted —
are incompatible with the dignity or nobility
of life? Surely this is not so. Whether a life
is noble or ignoble depends not on the calling
which is adopted, but on the spirit in which it
is followed."

Again:

"It is generally the idle who complain they
cannot find time to do that which they fancy
they wish. In truth, people can generally find
time for what they choose to do; it is not
really the time but the will that is wanting."

I want to say for Sir John Lubbock that
when I was irf London in 1899, they told me

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING 19

what I had not realized before, that Sir John
Lubbock was the busiest man in London. He
was engaged in large affairs. He was presi-
dent, trustee, director in banks of importance;
he was the head of many important organiza-
tions; he was member of more important com-
mittees than any other man in England. And
yet, as you know, he wrote book after bosk.
And these books demanded the most close,
rigid, continued, minute investigation. If Sir
John Lubbock, the busiest man in London,
could write a book on the habits of bees, ants
and wasps, could study the interesting rela-
tions between insects and flowers, could study
the science of biology, if Sir John Lubbock,
the busiest man in London — at that time the
greatest and most important city, the m«st
vigorous and modem city in the world — could
do that, what could not others do if they
wished? ,

Lord Chesterfield — and it is very rarely that
I quote Chesterfield — said:

"It is astonishing that any one can squander
away in absolute idleness one single moment
of that small portion of time which is allotted
to us in this world — know the true value of
of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every mo-
ment of it"

20 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

Very good advice, and yet I say we do not
want to run Marathon >races all the time. We
want some rest.

So much, then, for ourselves, as viewed with
reference to this question as to the occupa-
tions of life. Now, as regards others. The
adjustment sounds at first difficult. Is it pos-
sible for human beings with their wide range
of interests to adjust themselves to each other
so that each one has some range within which
he can find enjoyment and occupation? As a
matter of fact, the adjustment is natural and
easy and it has always taken place. Take the
two most crowded regions of the world, those
two teeming populations, China and India,
where there are so many people crowded to-
gether that one might think we would find
hell on earth and constant quarreling and bat-
tling. The contrary is true. In China and in
India, there is far more peaceful relationship
between men than in most countries. In those
countries, where there are such enormous
crowds of people, every man, woman and child
has its place, and the place is a happy one.
There is more happiness in proportion to the
individuals, I firmly believe, in India and
China than in most countries on the globe.

Our relation to others is an interesting ques-

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? # 21

tion. "It is only in society," and here again
it is Schopenhauer who speaks. "It is only in
society that a man's powers can be called into
full activity. Now, to be a useful member of
society one must do two things. Firstly, what
every one is expected to do everywhere; and,
secondly, what one's own particular position in
the world demands and requires." Goethe re-
marks: "Every man ought to begin with him-
self and make his own happiness first, from
which the happiness of the world would fol-
low." There should be first of all thought for
one's own self. Yes; and then, if it is gen-
uine, if it is wise, if it is based on sense, there
will be helpfulness for all in it. It is not
necessary to go on a mission to do people
good. No. You and I and everybody comes
every day of their life, into contact with all
kincls of people. If we do with reference to
each person with whom we coma into contact
during the day, our part, kindly, wisely and
sanely, there would be no problems of human-
ity left for solving. It is perfectly possible
for you and me to make that the very funda-
mental basis of our life. It is possible for us
to say we will not go out of our way to do
some distant philanthropy. But if to every
man, woman and child with whom we are

22 IS LIFE WORTH DIVING

brought into daily contact, we play our part
aright, we do that much toward making the
world as a whole better.

Now, it is time for me to sit down. But
I am going to make an analysis in two chap-
ters of a man for whom we have great re-
spect and affection. The first chapter cemes
at this point. My second chapter will come
at the close of my next argument.

I want to analyze Clarence Darrow; we may
take /him as a specific instance. There is
nothing like having a case in point that we
can bring up and deal with. I believe that
Clarence Darrow is a man who gets a lot out
of life; I believe there are very few men who
get more. I know few men who have a bet-
ter time in the world than he. Let me illus-
trate: He has pretty good health and strength.
I have sometimes suspected, I am not sure,
I have sometimes suspected that he has dys-
pepsia, but, on the whole, I think his health
is good. It is a great thing to be thankful
for and to rejoice in. Health, wealth and hap-
piness were the three things I told the boys in
that high school were suitable to seek. Wealth;
I don't know anything about Mr. Darrow's
bank book, but I heard him say not long ago
he was thinking of retiring pretty soon from

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 23

active life. When a man who has Clarence
Darrow's business thinks about retiring from
active life, you may be sure he has as much
as he wants or is good for him. So far as
happiness is concerned, his life is one kmg
career of happiness. One of his greatest joys
in life, of course, is grumbling; it is his long
suit. People find joy in all sorts of strange
things. And grumbling is a joy to him, of
course; otherwise, he would get over it. Now,
I would not be surprised if he were to use the
word "dope" presently. There are people who
have certain phrases that get to be a part of
their make-up, just as grumbling is a part of
his make-up. There are certain sounds that
give them extreme joy. Well, when Mr. Bar-
row can say "dope," "dope," "dope," "dope," it
is like sweet music to his ears. Do not think
for an instant I would wish to take away from
him that pleasure. It does him no harm. It
does us no harm. It might be misunderstood
by those who do not know him, but to us it is
.merely one of those things in which he finds
pleasure, and we are glad to have him use the
word. As for companions. Have you ever
been out with Mr. Darrow? Have you ever
seen him go into any crowded place at meal
time, when the men, the business men of Chi-

24 IS LIFE? WORTH LIVING?

cago, are eating? Everybody knows him. It
is not only that everybody knows him, but
everybody greets him with affectionate re-
spect. Do you think that does not please him?
Then you know we all find enjoyment in
thinking of the heroes of the past. Thomas
Carlyle's most taking book was the one on
hero worship. The man who has a strain of
hero worship is really a happy man. Though
Mr. Darrow talks about all sorts of dreadful
things most dolefully, he worships more hu-
man beings than any man I know — Thomas
Paine, and Governor Altgeld and other great
and good men; he talks about them; thinks of
them, has them as companions when all others
are away. Why he enjoys himself all the time!
And, then, he is so fond of biology! Is it not
a fine thing for a man to have some subject
outside of his business that fills his soul with
joy? I said one of the things desirable in a
man and in life, is activity, activity, activity.
He is very interesting in regard to that. In
this matter of activity, he is it. But his
friends know he is also one of the most lazy,
of men. The active man who is lazy is fre-
quently the most happily active of active men
the world knows. He begins and ends with
grumbling, and I shall now make room for him
to present his poor side of this debate.

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 25

The Chairman: The members and officers
probably know if it were not for Mr. Dar-
row —

Professor Starr: See here; you are not talk-
ing in this debate. I have a whole chapter
of analysis still coming!

The Chairman: The Chair rules the Pro-
fessor out of order. If it were not for Mr.
Darrow we probably should not have a society
to present this debate. We have been on the
narrow edge once or twice, and especially re-
cently, but we have to thank Mr. Darrow for
coming to the rescue, I will now ask Mr. Dar-
row to reply to the speech to which you have
just listened.

26 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

MR. DARROW'S FIRST SPEECH

Mr. Darrow said: Professor Starr feas told
us what we cannot consider in this question,
and what we can consider. Taking what we
caanot consider and what we must consider,
of course, it leaves nothing excepting his Tiew
of this question. Now, I think I will pr^ve to
him, from biology — and he certainly wouW not
be mean enough to dispute me on biology —
that we have a right to consider the fwture,
and that we are bound to consider the past in
giving an opinion as to whether life is worth
while. It is not a question as to whether I
enjoy life or not. I do the very best I can at
it, anyhow, and as life goes, I think I do pretty
well. But, I am willing to take the professor
at his word and say that if I don't think life
is worth while with what I get out of it, how
is it possible that it could be worth while to
anybody that cannot take dope? I will show
you before I am done, I think, that a very
large part of the professor's rules for living are
dope, nothing else. Really, we all enjoy hear-
ing him talk, and we are all very fond of him,
but he didn't discuss this question. He~really
gave us some excellent receipts as to the way

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 27

to live our lives. He told us what we should
do and what we should not do in order to
make life happy. Now, that is not even log-
ical, because when he tells me what to do to
make life happy he simply tells me what he
does or tries to do, to make life happy, and
it is not at all certain that I could get hap-
piness that way; and it is still less certain
that I could do it if I wished to. His rules
for the way to live may be good. They may
be worth practicing, so far as we can prac-
tice them. But man does not live by rules.
If he did, he would not live. He lives by his
emotions, his instincts, his feelings; he lives
as he goes along. Man does not make rules
of life and then live according to those rules;
he lives and then he makes rules of life. And,
it is really an idle thing for anybody to tell
anybody else how to live. Nobody is in-
fluenced by other peoples' opinions. Each must
learn for himself and find out where he makes
his mistakes, and, perhaps the things he thinks
are mistakes are not mistakes after all. No
one can figure this out. But, telling you the
way to live is not discussing the question of
whether life is worth while.

In "spite of the rules, is life worth while?
Let me take the simplest one he gives. Thus

2S IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

in spite of the professor being a very able
man and a very scientific man, the rule is as
old as the first dope fiend. He says "work."
Be busy. That is the first rule of living — get
busy. Everybody who ever wanted to get
rich, especially out of somebody else, has!
taught this to the people. Benjamin Franklin
was one of the main exponents of this idea.
Work is the great thing in life. I am inclined
to think this is true. Now, let us find the
reason for it. The reason is perfectly evident.
Why should we work? Why, the professor
says, it gets our mind off ourselves. That is
true, too. That is the reason for it. If a
man works hard, especially at something he
is interested in, it takes his mind from him-
self. That is the only philosophical reason for
hard work. There are reasons in the way of
getting money which are poor reasons. But,
to work hard, especially at what you are in-
terested in, takes your mind from yourself.
You may get up early in the morning at ten
o'clock and try to enjoy yourself for two hours
doing nothing. And, you think you have lived
a whole lifetime, trying to enjoy yourself. But,
if you have worked hard, the first time you
may think of it, you think it has been fifteen
minutes, when it has been a half a day. What

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 29

does that mean? It means just this: That
work is good because it brings non-existence,
and that non-existence is the most tolerable
of all the forms of matter in life. There is no
other answer to hard work. And I know of
almost no one who has studied the philosophy
of life but does not finally come up with the
proposition that the only thing that makes life
tolerable, is hard work, so you don't know
you are living. So, I characterize hard work
as dope for life.

There is one thing in life which is perhaps
equal to it, and that is sleep. And, I never
saw anyone, weary with the labor of life, or
weary with the thought of life, that did not
come home to his couch with pleasure in the
thought that he would be lost to lj^fe for a
time, at least. Now, I will admit, that this
question is not a very satisfactory one for
discussion. Perhaps the question cannot be
settled by the professor bringing out all the
good things in life and on the other hand by
my stringing out all the evil things in life.
Somehow or other, this must be settled, if set-
tled, upon a much broader basis than that;
upon some question of science or some question
of philosophy. And, perhaps, it is not capable
of being settled. Of course I will say, with

30 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

Professor Starr, as I said with Professor Fos-
ter, I would like to discuss this with a man
who believed in it. I would like to discuss the
question of whether life is worth living with
one who believed that life was of value. I
would like to discuss optimism and pessimism
with an optimist. And, in the end, I pre-
sume this question gets down to optimism and
pessimism. And the professor is too wise t6
be an optimist and too wise to be deluded with
the beauty and pleasure of living, and too
honest to say that he is.

But, let me make a few observations that it
seems to me puts this question on somewhat
broader lines. First, Professor Starr has said
that whether there is a future life or not, has
nothing to do with the question of whether this
life is worth living; whether we came from any-
where has nothing to do with it, or whether we
are going anywhere has nothing to do with it.
All life and all experience contradicts him. If
man was not cursed with consciousness he
would be right. If man was not cursed with
memory he could forget the past. And, if he
was not cursed with imagination, he would
think nothing about the future. But there is
no fairly intelligent man or woman who is not
bound to think every day in his life of the

IS LIFE WORTli LIVING? 31

question of whether life ends all and when that
end will come. And with the great mass of
men who live upon the earth, the question of
the end of life affects their present feeling
more than anything else affects it. If any-
body say's it does not affect it, he is simply
bluffing. You may take one of the most emi-
nent scientists of the world, Sir Oliver Lodge,
and yet because he has the feeling that I have
and the feeling that goes with living, that the
fate of annihilation is abhorrent to the human
mind — because of that, he almost consciously
deludes himself with the silliest twaddle that
has ever moved the minds of men. Do you
suppose Sir Oliver Lodge would be a spiritualist
if the fear of death or the hope of immortality
did not make him one? Why, there is not a
single fact that he reports that could stand for
a minute in the light of the scientific analysis
that he gives to every question of physical
science, and he must know it.

What does the great mass of the human race
think about this question as to whether life is
worth living, and whether this is in any way
affected by the question of the destiny of Man?
Why, since man began to dream dreams and
see visions; since he evolved consciousness;
since he looked around and asked the meaning

32 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

of life and of death, he has sought by every
means to prove that death is not death. He
has braced up his love of life by making for
himself a dream that there was something more
to life than is shown by science or philosophy,
or the facts that are apparent to everyone who
thinks. And, take that feeling from the human
mind today, and take it suddenly, and it would
be paralyzed, and men would not live their
lives. There are a few who might live it out.
But, to say that the question of the destiny
of man does not affect his present happiness is
to say that man has neither memory, nor
imagination, nor consciousness, nor thought.

Men suffer from evils that never come, and
they experience joys that never come. A very
large part of our conscious life is dreaming.
We believe in happiness that will come to-
morrow, and in misery that passed yesterday.
We are terrified sometimes by disasters that
will come tomorrow, more than we are by those
that we lived through yesterday. Man's brain
is su<m that his mind will reach into the future
and into the past and all about him, and the
future and the past, whether it exists or not
does exist for the Dresent, and is the largest
part of the things which affect the happiness
or the misery oMhe man. It is idle to say man

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 33

must not take into account the question of his
origin or the question of his destiny,, when he
considers whether life is worth living. Is it?

Now, I didn't know that I grumbled so much.
1 don't know why I should. I have got about
through with the blooming game. I am about
ready to retire. That does not mean I have
money, but I study the actuary tables; I know
I am about ready to retire. When I retire —
well, while I will not be happy, I will not be
miserable, and, as life goes, I believe I have as
little cause for complaint as almost any person
I know. And, I trust that I complain very
little. At least I don't mean to. I have lived
a life which is, approximately, as good as
nothing. Not quite, but somewhere near it.
And I will not be very much better off when
I am dead; but somewhat.

Does Professor Starr prove that life is worth
living, because man is here? If so, that is a
simple question. By what process can you
prove that everything that is here is worth
while? Or, what do we mean by worth while ?„
Of course you can ask a lot of questions in
discussing this. Of course, if life is worth
living to man because man is here, it is like-
wise worth living to every animal because it is
here. It is worth living to the dog and the

34 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

mouse and the cat that eats it. Of course, you
might say that the life of the mouse is worth
living to the cat that eats it. It is worth living
f* the ant and the grasshopper, and to those
tiny insects who live only a fraction of an hour.
And, in the sight of eternity, the longest human
life is just as short. Even if the emotions, in
the fraction of an hour, were all pleasant ones,
it was not worth while to begin it when it was
to end so quickly. The fact that life is here-
to my mind, proves nothing, excepting that if
you got a certain amount of earth and heat and
water — if they were resolved into the simple
elements — given these elements in certain pro-
portions under certain conditions, life will de-
velop, just as maggots will in a cheese. Does
that prove it is worth while? I cannot see it.
It does not prove it in any meaning of the
words worth while. If it does prove it, then
everything is equally worth while, and the
living man is no more a part of nature than
the corpse. And the well man is no more a part
of nature than the sick man. The pleasurable
emotion is no more a part of nature than the
painful emotion. The fact that it is here simply
proves it is here, that is all. The only way that
thia question can be discussed, it seems to me,
is as an intellectual or philosophical question:

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 35-

Are the pleasurable emotions of life more than
the painful ones? Is there a greater balance
of pleasure than pain? And this cannot be
discussed without taking into consideration
every feeling and imagination that influences
man, and influences the feelings of man. You
cannot settle it by saying life is a question, of
health, wealth, happiness and wisdom. The
second time he said wealth, health and happi-
ness, he cut out the wisdom. Happiness surely
is not a question of wisdom. It is a question of
happiness, and happiness is a very complex
thing. If life is a question of happiness, then
it gets back to you, looking it over, with what
has passed and what is still to come, has it
more pleasure or more unhappiness? I believe
almost every person who lives gets his pleasure
in anticipation. All of the adages and teachings
of life are built upon that idea. The young
person should store up wisdom so that he may
use it in old age — when he does not need it.
He needs teeth more than he does wisdom. By
the way, Professor, my digestion is bullj. I
can eat anything that tastes good and nothing
that does not. A person should hoard up money
so that he can spend it, and have a good time
with it in the future — when he will most likely
be dead. We should work today, so that we can

36 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

have a vacation tomorrow. Better take it today,
for tomorrow you may be dead and you will get
out of working. I ought not to be personal, as
the professor was, but I ought to be a very wise
man for I have listened to him for two winters
with the greatest of profit. I remember once
last winter — you will excuse me, Professor, for
quoting you here? He gave us a wondrous
picture of Japan; its beauties, and its glories,
and the emotions that he felt in visiting Japan.
And, he told us he was going again the follow-
ing summer, which was last summer. And,
there was a very joyful expression on his face
in the anticipation of all the fun he would have
in Japan. When he got back this fall, he told
us that he had been much disappointed when
he went to Japan; things didn't turn out the
way he thought they were going to. And when
I heard him say that he had been disappointed
the last time he went to Japan, I was quite sure,
that when he remembered his trip to Japan,
he had a better time remembering it than when
he took it. And, I fancy that, if it is not good
biology, it is good psychology. If I could ever
have as good a time when I went on a vacation
as I anticipated before I went, I would hope to
die while I was gone.

So, the past does get into it, and the future

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 37

gets into it. And, if you work hard there is no
present. Let us see what the experience of
man says — and really I don't pretend there is
any way to absolutely settle this question — but
let us see what all human experience says
about it.

Everybody, after they begin to think a little,
and before they can think much, makes a
heaven for themselves. There, the streets will
be paved with gold. Christian heaven. Of
course, I could picture something that looked
better to me. In heaven, there will be no
weeping or wailing or gnashing of teeth. They
will not even have teeth. The streets will be
paved with gold. That makes it alluring to a
Christian banker. You can play on a harp
forever. Your friends will not die. I don't
know about your enemies, but your friends will
not die. There will be no marrying or giving
in marriage; nothing but one long dream of
joy! You won't even have to work to forget
yourself — you will not want to forget yourself;
you will want to walk on the gold pavement.
And, the poor old grandmother sits by the fire-
side mumbling, dreaming, happy, because she
is going to heaven. And, the human race for-
gets its miseries and its sorrows because it is
going to heaven. And man is happy in spite

38 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

of himself because it is living on this pipe

dreaaa — I was going to say dope.

Now, isn't that just exactly what man does?
From the Methodists up to Sir Oliver L#dge?
All of them? From the highest to the lowest,
they consciously use every effort in their power
to delude themselves with this myth of happi-
ness; this will o'-the-wisp is right in front of
them. And, I suppose when they close their
eyes for the last time they see before them this
illusion of the golden gates, and all the rest
of the business opening before them.

* Now, my friend quoted Epictetus, the stoic.
Well, he was somewhat like my friend, quite
a bluffer. He said, "What is the difference
whether I am loaded with chains, my mind is
free?" Well, that is a sort of self-hypnotism,
if it is true. "What is the difference whether
I am hungry or cold; my mind is free? You
can do nothing to my mind, anyhow.,, Well, I
wish they could do something to mine. That is
the trouble with people. Before a piece of clay
awol^e to consciousness, it was getting along all
right, but when it awoke, then came the trouble.
Now, is there any philosophy in Epictetus?
Why, it is a great, big bluff. I think one ought
not to complain of his troubles. Nobody is in-
terested in them. I would rather hear other

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 3$

people's troubles than to talk about mine. Then
I can forget mine. One of the prime receipts
for being happy, which I will suggest to fche
professor, is hard work. I used to be taught
that when I was a boy and wanted the moo* —
I haven't wanted it very lately — I don't km«w
what in the dickens I would do with it if I had
it and then I know I can't get it — one way not
to worry about what you cannot get is not to
want it; one of the prime ways. They used to
tell us when we felt bad, to think how much
worse somebody else was. You have heard that,
haven't you? That proves that life is worth
living, doesn't it? If I go out on the street,
and get run over, taken to the hospital and
lose a leg, I can be happy by thinking of some
poor fellow in France that lost both of his!
If I get one eye knocked out, I can get joy-
thinking of the blind! Now, that is%a receipt
for happiness. And, it is a good receipt; it
is given out by everybody. Well, you are not
happy today. All right. Think how much bet-
ter off you are than some people. That proves
that life is worth living. That is it proves
that it is not quite so bad as it might be.

Of course, emotionally, one may stick around,
because while we live, we want to live. But,
I think I am going to be happier next year

40 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

than I was last year. Of course I know I
will not be, but I think I shall. I think next
week will be a good week. Last week was not
so good. Next week will be fine. And next
summer vacation will be good. Of course, as
I said here before, I might run into some mos-
quitoes, or some people, but I am not think-
ing about them now, because it is next year.
That is what I ran into last year. Pretty
much all of it is in the imagination. And I
don't condemn the dope fiend. I think he is
— I was going to say wise, but I will do better
than that by him — I think he is foolish, and,
blessed be foolishness!,

When you leave the cruder religions of the
world, and men begin to get up where they
cannot believe quite all that has been said,
then 4hey turn to Epictetus, and he was one
of these self-deluding mortals who could sit
on a pin and say, "Why, my mind is free."
Of course, that is not even scientific. For a
man's mind, whatever it is, depends upon his
brain whatever it is, and that is a part of his
body, whatever it is. So that he is not free;
it depends entirely upon his body. It is just a
bit of bluffing. Epictetus and a few other
stoics bluffed their way through the world un-
til their philosophy played out and now it has

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 41

been taken up by the Christian Scientists, who
say: "Oh, no, there is no such thing as corns,
they are in the head, not on the toes." "There
is no such thing as death. The friend you
loved that made up a large part of the pleas-
ures of life, is not dead. He has just passed
on." Just passed on! Things are not what
they seem to be. God is love and love is God.
There is no sin; there is no pain — only a
condition of mind. Well, with the most of
them there is no mind; so there is nothing!
Does all of that prove that lift is worth
living? It proves that it is not worth living.
I will tell you why it proves it. It proves
that there is nobody on earth who can stand
the realities of life. That is what it proves.
It proves that when the consciousness of life
comes to one who is intelligent, that he
straightway uses every effort in his power to
prove that life is not life; pain is not pain and
death is not death; that he takes every dope
that is given him by someone else to make him
dream, and if he cannot find anything given
him by someone else that will put him to sleep,
he makes one for himself that puts him to
sleep. And, if perchance, he is too intelligent,
even to manufacture a dope that will put him
to sleep, and if he cannot find one that will

42 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

put him to sleep, then he resorts to hard work,
so he cannot think of himself. Looking life
over I have nothing to complain of — I am a
real optimist; it might have been worse. There
is optimism for you. It might have been
worse. And, in spite of the pleasures that I
have experienced in studying biology and lis-
tening to lectures on anthropology, and in
spite of the companionship of my friends, and
in spite of good food and vacations, in spite
of all these — and I have had my full share
of them — and a good digestion with it — and
before I finish that sentence I want to call
attention to one thing my friend suggested,
then I will go back where I left off. He said
digestion is good. Eating tastes good, but if
you eat too much it hurts you. Well now,
why should it? You like to eat, but if you
eat too much it makes you miserable". What
a glorious thought that is, isn't it?-

Well, in spite of all my pleasures, and all
of my friends — I am glad I have so many; if
they knew me better, I would have more —
in spite of all of these, when I look back ever
life, with the many pains I have suffered that
happened, and the many more I have suffered
that did not happen, the greatest satisfaction
that I find in any of it is when I am asleep.
And. intellectually, I feel it will be the best

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 43

thing that can happen to me — to go to sleep
again. Still emotionally and physically, I draw
back from it, just like everyone else who ever
lived. All this enters into my personal feel-
ing of whether life is worth while. But as an
intellectual question, I insist that practically
everything that my friend has said and prac-
tically everything that everyone says in favor
of optimism and the worth-whileness of life —
pretty near all of it — proves that life is not
worth while; that it is an unpleasant inter-
ruption of nothing, and the best thing you can
say of it is that it does not last ong.
* * * *

The Chairman: Professor Starr will' con-
tinue the debate.

44 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

PROF. STARR'S SECOND SPEECH

Professor Starr said: Now, with the very
best intentions in the world, I tried to find
some argument in what was said that called
for answer. I am quite serious in saying this.
I wanted to find something that called for
answer. There were suggestions made which
called forth loud applause. Yet each time you
made applause after such suggestions, I felt
certain that when you thought it over you
would see the fallacy yourselves. The only
new thought that seems to me to call for dis-
cussion is the question of death.

I was really surprised at the readiness with
which he accepted a good deal that I said. I
didn't expect it. I confess that much of his
speech — the more serious part of his speech —
was a very strange address for a Rationalist.
Still, we will let that pass.

Hard work he mentioned; yes, hard work.
And you realize, that hard work is the joy of
life. You know it is. He cannot get around
it by foolish statements such as he made re-

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 45

garding hard work being dope. You knew lie
would have to talk about dope anyway. He
says he did not realize that he was a grum-
bler. Of course he did not. When he first
spoke about my referring to him as a grum-
bler, the thought came into my mind to say
it is second nature to him, but that would be
an error; it is first nature. So, of course, he
is unconscious of the fact that he is a grum-
bler! In my remaining argument I have two
or three points I wish to emphasize. It seems
to me that nothing in what Mr. Darrow has
said in the way of reply to what I had pre-
sented, really calls for answer. But there are
some things that I would add to what I said.
First, it is very common, of course, for peo-
ple to realize that they may have made mis-
takes or that they may have got themselves
into hard positions. They may have lost op-
portunities which, when once passed, looked
promising. It is not worth while to waste
your life in mourning over the opportunities
you missed. It is not worth while laying too
much stress upon the mistakes that you have
made. No. Those things are past. Learn
from them. Avoid similar mistakes, if pos-
sible, in the future, but do not waste time,
eternally harping on mistakes that you have
made, J^Profl^^y^ySul^fiaistakes and let them

46 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

go. If it is something that you can rectify, rec-
tify the error that you made; otherwise, let
it go, and be a better and wiser man for the
fact of the error or the mistake.

Mr. Darrow referred to the other point I had
in mind, the fact that we worry a great deal
about the things that lie ahead. He did not
put it exactly in that way, but he suggested
that we hope a good deal to the future, a»d we
look forward with dread a good deal to the fu-
ture. I think few people every really have* been
so miserable that they could not stand their
miseries if they were sure they had reached the
end. The uncertainty, the doubt, the fear, the
dread lest things may not be so good in the
future, or that the worst may come, is cor-
roding, and destroying, yes. Constant anxiety
in regard to the future, destroys the happiness
of life for many a person. I have often thought
if only we could be sure regarding the present
moment that it is the very bottom, we should
laugh really with joy, no matter how great the
burden; no matter what the pain may be, if we
were absolutely certain that it was the worst.
Why, we could stand that; and we could think
as we have stood that, the worst is past. Do
not be over anxious. Grapple with troubles
when they come; meet difficulties as they
arise; use your best efforts to be happy and

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 47

do not give way to constant dread and fear
of things that may never come, or worse con-
ditions that probably will not come.

It seems to me that old age is far from
dreadful. There are many people who think
of old age as being simply a painful and sad
condition. A great deal depends upon how
one has used their younger years. One may
look back over a life well spent with pleasure.
And one of the greatest happinesses of life
certainly is in thinking over the joys that, one
has gone through or things that one has un-
dertaken and succeeded in; the good that one
has done. A well spent life makes a happy
age. It is not a good reason why one should
do well today in order that he may come to
look back upon it tomorrow; but it certainly
is one of the joys of life, when one may look
back upon well-spent years.

The matter of death is one that we all
face; one that we all know will happen. There
were fallacies of course in that description of
the vacation which we will take today, because
we might die tomorrow; the fallacy there is
quite easy to see; but let that pass. I think
Mr. Darrow and a great many people over-
estimate the horror of death, I cannot see why
we make such sweeping statements in regard
to the universal fear of death. It is not true

48 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

that mankind at large has an all-consuming
fear and terror m regard to death. It is en-
twined in the surroundings under which* we
have been brought up; to us death has been
rendered horrible, and has assumed frightful
forms. We as a people are brought up from
early childhood to look on death as the great
disaster, the one awful thing. However,
there are whole populations where death has
relatively little terror; where one may say the
horror of death, such as we hold it, is almost
unknown. I object on the part of hundreds
of millions of people, against assigning to
them, and asserting of them, that same fool-
ish and criminal fear of death which we, our-
selves, harbor and hold.

I am thankful to say, even among ourselves,
there are persons not afraid to die. It is true
that our religious training — it is true that the
books we read — it is true that the papers that
we read — it is true that the songs we sing, all
speak in this way of death. JBut, it 'is an un-
natural way of speaking. It is not the hu-
man attitude toward death. On the part of
the rest of humanity, I object to such an as-
sertion and assumption. Even among our-
selves, it is not true that all are afraid of
death. There are men who have lived so well,
anS who have so well occupied themselves with

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 4S

sound and sane action through life, that they
meet death without fear, and without a shud-
der. Mr. Darrow is very fond of speaking
of those persons as bluffers. It is not bluff-
ing. Goethe died without apparent suffering,
having just prepared himself to write and ex-
pressed his delight at the return of spring. It
was no bluff on the part of Plato who died
when in the act of writing. It was no bluff
when Lucan died reciting a part of his book
on the War of Pharsalus nor when Blake died
singing. No. Of these people, some were
Pagans; but, Goethe lived in Christendom.
There are people who die in Christendom with-
out belief and without fear, without a shrink-
ing back before the end.

When I was in Japan the last time — and by
the way I want to say Mr. Darrow misunder-
stood my attitude towards my last visit to
Japan. It is true that I complained bitterly
of the high cost of living; it is true when I
found myself in Japan, I was unable to do one-
half the things I had planned simply because
the high cost- of living was such that I had
to draw in my expanding tentacles and sit
tight there in Tokio. But, I never said I was
disappointed in my visit. It was a trip of
joy; happy during the time, happy in the an-
ticipation, happy in the retrospect. Me re-

50 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

ceived a wrong impression there. However,
that is a personality you will forgive. I want
to tell you a little incident that came to my
knowledge in my last visit to Japan. I want
to describe a death that took place between
my two last visits. My little interpreter de-
cided that he would like to learn archery. It
is an art which the Japanese have carried to
a fine development. Even today there are to
be found some fine representatives of old Jap-
an who know and teach archery. The boy,
during my absence, found such an old teacher.
There were about thirty-five who used to take
their lessons from the old man. Archery in
Japan is very exacting, rigid and precise;
every detail is regulated; it is a fine art. The
boy made advancement. During the year the
old man died. Before he died, knowing the
end was nearing, he sent word to each one
of his pupils to come, and thirty-four gathered
at his bed. The old man greeted them; the
bows and arrows were brought out and laid
beside him; he gave them a few last direc-
tions, and then he said: "Friends, students:
I have done what I could for you; try, try,
try to become perfect." And with those words
he died. Just like that. As soon as the words
were uttered, his eyes closed, and the old ntan
was gone. There was no bluffing there. There

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 51

was no fear there. That man hadn't been
looking forward toward the end of life with
terror. He looked upon death as a perfectly
natural end, like waking out of a sleep, like
going to sleep. He didn't look upon it as a
frightful thing that he should dread to have
the end approaching. No, it is among our-
selves and those brought up in the same way,
that death has been given its horrors.

I said we knew nothing about the past from
which the individual comes, and nothing of
the future into which he goes. I meant just
that, and it was said in order to cut this out
from the argument. But, there is a past to
which we are related; there is a past that
means much to every man that lives well. Of
course there is. Out from that past has
come the stimulus, the helpfulness, the high
thought, the inspiration that makes the bulk
of our joys of life. In that sense, we all ©f
us live in the past. We all draw from the
past. The past means everything to us. And
so again, when we die, that is not the end, no.
Everybody who has come into contact with us
has felt our impress. Hundreds of people re-
member, after we are gone, the good we did
them, the influence we exerted on them. What
we do lives after us. Whether there is a fu-
ture existence, individually, for us, we do not

52 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

know. I am in no haste to die, but I do not
fear death. I hope to live for some time yet;
I hope to teach and help many a man, woman
and child to better life, to greater happiness.
I hope, too, that they will be better and that
something of my life will continue in them
when my life here comes to an end. I believe
that and hope it, thoroughly and completely.

In other words, there is a future, and if we
live our lives right, the future is the better
for our having lived, and been here.

Lastly, you remember I had a chapter left
over. It was a chapter of Clarence Darrow
and oui* analysis of him. You remember we
were talking first of the individual in him-
self, and secondly of his relation to others.
In the first chapter of my analysis, I said
Clarence Darrow was a pessimist, a cheerful
pessimist. We spoke of his personal life: How
now, of Clarence Darrow in society, toward
others? Has Clarence Darrow helped people
in his daily life here, now? You know he has.
And, in that helpfulness, he has found joy!
This Society, as Mr. Lewis told you — he had
no right to tell you, yet you heard him call
me to order for saying so — Mr. Lewis should
have kept still when the debate was under
weigh. Mr. Darrow has served this society.
Yes. Do you think he deserves too much

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 53

thanks? No, he got as much joy and pleasure
out of his service as you did.

Mr. Darrow: Probably more.

Professor Starr: In serving you and help-
ing this society, in having an interest here,
he gains true joy. You know about his clients.
You know that when others will refuse a case
because there is no money, or because it is
desperate, he will take it. You know what his
life is. You know how it is lived with refer-
ence to others. You know how many poor
men he has helped out of serious perplexities.
And, do you think that when he dies, he ends?
No, no. The gentle memory remains when he
has gone. Ends? Why, it is enough to read
Farmington, to know better. Farmington will
live after he has gone. An abiding influence.
Is that worth while? It is worth while to
have lived one's life so that one has joy
through the days and weeks and years? Joy of
anticipation? Joy in hard work? Joy in the
retrospect? Helpfulness while he lives; bless-
ing in death; excerting an influence beyond.
Life such as that is well worth living!
* * *

The Chairman: You will hear from Mr.
Darrow.

54 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

MR. DARROW'S SECOND SPEECH

Mr. Darrow said: Well, my friend's very
kind words make it hard for me to debate.
Of course, I cannot discuss that question with
him because he is right. He and I ought not
to debate. Of course, I do appreciate the feel-
ings of my friend.

I want to say a few words seriously. Per-
haps I was not serious before. Life to me is
a joke. That is the way I get by. It is an
awful joke. A joke on me partly. But, seri-
ously, I am not certain if Professor Starr is
right on what he says about death — he cer-
tainly should know more about that subject
than I do — whether there are hundreds of mil-
lions of people in the world who do not view
death the way we Christians look at it. I con-
fess that I don't know. And it is a topic that
I would like to hear discussed by him fully
because to Christians, like we people, it is an
important question. And, if there are people
in the world, and people who live close to na-
ture, who, on account of their more natural
life, or more natural views of life, have a
different attitude, we ought to know it. I,
for one, would be glad to know it. I have

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 55

read more or less about this subject. Not so
much as Professor Starr has, and of course,
he has traveled amongst the primitive people
a great deal. I supposed that they had the
same feeling toward death that we civilized
people have; but perhaps not. Really, don't
the primitive people have it, Professor Starr?
I am asking seriously.

Professor Starr: Nothing to the degree we
have. You used the word I refrained from
using, the population that fears death.

Mr. Darrow: I didn't use the word fear
with that attitude toward it.

Professor Starr: Fear, the higher idea.

Mr. Darrow: I fancy that they must. Even
the primitive religions are based on immortal-
ity and I fancy that while the feeling may not
be as strong with them as it is with us, it
must be very substantial. It certainly enters
into everything with what we call civi'lized
people. It is not quite the right thing to say,
fearing death. Personally, I have the same
concern about it that everybody else has. I
cannot imagine an intelligent person who has
not. You know that any minute your best friend
may be taken. You know that ev^ry day, these
you love drop out by the wayside without
warning. To know that the most important
plans may come to nothing in a moment.

56 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

There is nothing in life that compares in seri-
ousness with it. Whether a man could so live
that he would not care about it, that is a
most important question. Whether he can take
life as life is, and give up the thought of a
future life and think very little of death. I
don't know how he can do it while in full
health and the possession of his faculties.

Now let us look a little closer into that
question. I am quite aware that I do not
fear death. I don't expect to go to hell. I
expect after death I am going to be — I was
going to say happy — but I expect not to be
unhappy. I expect to even be better off than
as if I was working. I expect to be asleep,
and not even dreaming. But, that in no way
takes away my will to live, which is present
while I live, and it in no way takes away my
imagination which shows me how brief every-
thing is, and how the deepest loves in life
bring the deepest pain; and makes me hesitate
many times to bring my friends real close to
me — because I know what the shock will be
when we part. It seems to me that goes with
living. I would be glad sometime to hear Pro-
fessor Starr tell us more about it. The very
fact that we never discuss it — of course, I
discuss it more or less. I do that just to get
used to it. I fancy that the man in Christian

IS LIFE' WORTH LIVING? 57

society who thinks less of death than any-
body else, is the sexton, because he is dealing
with it all the time. And, if I get to talking
about it all the time I sort of get used to it.
That is a way that I have. It may be good
or bad, but I fancy that there is no avoiding
the shock that comes with the thought of it to
intelligent people, who do not take refuge in
the idea of immortality, or future life.

I can see nothing in the thought that one
who lives a good life is better content to lay
it down than one who does not live a good
life. I think the biggest sinners die the easiest,
because they generally see heaven in front of
them. The witch-burners, the fellows who
build fires to make people religious. The pro-
hibitionists. And that kind of people. Of
course, I am happy when the^die. They die
happy in the anticipation of what is coming
to them. Of course if they knew what was
coming to them they might not feel so good.
I don't think goodness has anything whatever
to do with whether a man is willing to die or
not, or with how long he lives. He couldn't
live long by being good. It is proverbial that
the good die young. I believe this myself, in
spite of the fact that I am getting along some.
One lives in accordance to the way they are
adjusted to their environment. And if they

68 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

have a crooked environment, they have to learn
to grow crooked, or they will be up against
something. Life has nothing to do with that.
And I fancy death has nothing to do with it. I
still think these people who say they are glad
to die and are not looking for something, are
really bluffing; they are Stoics, or Spartans;
they steel themselves to it. Take an example.
Suppose very suddenly there is a cry of fire
here in this room. It would terrify all of you.
How many times has it happened? Why, it
has happened in theatres over and over again;
happened in this town. What extraordinary
measures people take to save their lives! Even
the devout Christian, when he is dangerously
sick, sends for a doctor instead of a preacher.
People will consent to be carved up; have any-
thing happen to them, even give up their
money, rather than die! And, of course, this
does enter directly and most directly into the
feelings all of us have on the subject of wheth-
er life is worth living.

And, let me make another suggestion right
here. Suppose the Professor is right. Sup-
pose there are no feelings of reluctance at the
thought of death; supposing humanity reached
that point, in some way, that it was perfectly
willing to die. What does that prove? I fancy
that proves that life is not worth living!

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 59

It would seem so to me. When I was a boy
I never wanted to quit playing baseball or
eating pie; I never wanted to come in at night
when I was out playing with the boys; I never
wanted to get up in the m,orning when I was
asleep, especially if I had to work. I was
living a physical existence, and all right for
the time. If men were happy; if life was
happy; if it was worth while, it would be im-
possible to welcome death! And that, to my
mind, is the great fact that settles this whole
subject. I don't care about settling it. I am
conscious that on many things Professor Starr
and I think alike. I am proud to say it. But
I find it hard to debate with him. I would
prefer that this audience could see from such
facts as Professor Starr has given us, some
consolations for life, and some belief that on
the whole it is worth while. But, the great
fact in it is this, that the intense joy of life
makes death a nightmare; it is the skeleton
at every feast, and it is the only sure thing
which says: No, there is no such thing as
joy. Take that away; get a state of mind in
the world where men are willing to die, and
it can only mean one thing, that they are, at
least, indifferent to life, and therefore, it is
not worth while. I think we take life too
seriously. Perhaps it would be better that we

60 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

did not. We all take ourselves too seriously.
Life is at least not much worth while. We
make too much of it. Perhaps we would be
happier if we made less. I want to read you
just in closing a short statement that I found
from Sir Arthur J. Balfour, the English
statesman, which seems to me to put this
question of life, and of man, and of his ex-
istence on earth, better and simpler and more
concisely than I have ever seen it before. It
is from his well-known work, "Foundations of
Belief."

"Man, so far as natural science by itself is
able to teach us, is no longer the final cause
of the universe, the -Heaven-descended heir of
all the ages. His very existence is an accident,
his story a brief and transitory episode in the
life of one of the meanest of the planets. Of
the combination of causes which first con-
verted a dead organic compound into the living
progenitors of humanity, science indeed as yet
knows nothing. It is enough that from such
beginnings famine, disease, and mutual slaugh-
ter, fit nurses of the future lords of creation,
have gradually evolved, after infinite travail,
a race with conscience enough to feel that it
is vile, and intelligence enough to know that it
is insignificant. We survey the past, and see
that its history is of blood and tears, of help-

IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 61

less blundering, of wild revolt, of stupid ac-
quiescence, of empty aspirations. We sound
the future, and learn that after a period, long
compared with the individual life, but short
indeed compared with the divisions of time
open to our investigation, the energies of our
system will decay, the glory of the sun will be
dimmed, and the earth, tideless and inert, will
no longer tolerate the race which for a moment
disturbed its solitude. Man will go down into
the pit, and all his thoughts will perish. The
uneasy consciousness, which in this obscure
corner has for a long space broken the con-
tented silence of the universe, will be at rest.
Matter will know itself no longer. 'Imperish-
able monuments' and 'immortal deeds/ death
itself, and love stronger than death, will be as
though they had never been. Nor will any-
thing that is be better or be worse for all that
the labour, genius, devotion, and suffering of
men have striven through countless gener-
ations to effect."

It seems to me that is life; that is man.
Is it worth while? I want to make just one
confession on this question. I know the Pro-
fessor will, agree with me on this. I take
dope. I have tried pretty nearly every dope
on earth. Somehow it doesn't catch. I am
no different in what I try to do than the silly

62 IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?

fellow who says: Love is God and God is love.
If I could believe God is love and love is God,
I would do it. I cannot. To me life is of littla
value. I don't mean to me individually, but
as I see life. This great senseless, wasteful,
cruel spawning of life upon the earth! I see
not only its pain, but its pleasures, and its
joys annoy me more than its sorrows, for I
don't want to lose them. I love my friends;
I love people; I love life; but its everlasting
uncertainty; its infinite miseries; its manifest
futility; its unavoidable troubles and its tragic
end appalls me. That is the truth about it.
And, I am glad to take refuge in the one con-
solation, which I think is philosophy, but
which may be dope, that life does not amount
to much, and I should worry!

xS LIFE WORTH LIVING? 63

PROF. STARR'S LAST SPEECH

Professor Star said: I hope that you lis*
tened carefully to the quotation from Mr. Bal-
four. I will only say if you did, and it sank
deeply, you will realize more than ever, first,
that we are not responsible for being here;
second, that we should therefore get all that
we can while we are here, because whatever
is true of the future, we are here. Make the
most of it!

38. KAlJDEAfAN-JOLIUa

JMStor
.utti-jr BUM BOOKa

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